Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 47 U.K. [F1 Transfers subject to appropriate safeguards:] Binding corporate rules

1. [F2 The [F3 Commission]] shall approve binding corporate rules F4 ... , provided that they:

(a) are legally binding and apply to and are enforced by every member concerned of the group of undertakings, or group of enterprises engaged in a joint economic activity, including their employees;

(b) expressly confer enforceable rights on data subjects with regard to the processing of their personal data; and

(c) fulfil the requirements laid down in paragraph 2.

2. The binding corporate rules referred to in paragraph 1 shall specify at least:

(a) the structure and contact details of the group of undertakings, or group of enterprises engaged in a joint economic activity and of each of its members;

(b) the data transfers or set of transfers, including the categories of personal data, the type of processing and its purposes, the type of data subjects affected and the identification of the third country or countries in question;

(c) their legally binding nature, both internally and externally;

(d) the application of the general data protection principles, in particular purpose limitation, data minimisation, limited storage periods, data quality, data protection by design and by default, legal basis for processing, processing of special categories of personal data, measures to ensure data security, and the requirements in respect of onward transfers to bodies not bound by the binding corporate rules;

(e) the rights of data subjects in regard to processing and the means to exercise those rights, including [F5 the right to protection in accordance with, and with regulations made under, Articles 22A to 22D in connection with decisions based solely on automated processing (including decisions reached by means of profiling)], the right to [F6 make a complaint to the controller under section 164A of the 2018 Act, the right to make a complaint to the [F7 Commission] under section 165 of the 2018 Act, the right to lodge a complaint] before a court in accordance with Article 79 (see section 180 of the 2018 Act, and to obtain redress and, where appropriate, compensation for a breach of the binding corporate rules;

(f) the acceptance by the controller or processor [F8 established in the United Kingdom] of liability for any breaches of the binding corporate rules by any member concerned [F9 not established in the United Kingdom]; the controller or the processor shall be exempt from that liability, in whole or in part, only if it proves that that member is not responsible for the event giving rise to the damage;

(g) how the information on the binding corporate rules, in particular on the provisions referred to in points (d), (e) and (f) of this paragraph is provided to the data subjects in addition to Articles 13 and 14;

(h) the tasks of any data protection officer designated in accordance with Article 37 or any other person or entity in charge of the monitoring compliance with the binding corporate rules within the group of undertakings, or group of enterprises engaged in a joint economic activity, as well as monitoring training and complaint-handling;

(i) the complaint procedures;

(j) the mechanisms within the group of undertakings, or group of enterprises engaged in a joint economic activity for ensuring the verification of compliance with the binding corporate rules. Such mechanisms shall include data protection audits and methods for ensuring corrective actions to protect the rights of the data subject. Results of such verification should be communicated to the person or entity referred to in point (h) and to the board of the controlling undertaking of a group of undertakings, or of the group of enterprises engaged in a joint economic activity, and should be available upon request to [F10 the [F11 Commission]];

(k) the mechanisms for reporting and recording changes to the rules and reporting those changes to [F12 the [F11 Commission]];

(l) the cooperation mechanism with [F13 the [F11 Commission]] to ensure compliance by any member of the group of undertakings, or group of enterprises engaged in a joint economic activity, in particular by making available to [F13 the [F11 Commission]] the results of verifications of the measures referred to in point (j);

(m) the mechanisms for reporting to [F14 the [F11 Commission]] any legal requirements to which a member of the group of undertakings, or group of enterprises engaged in a joint economic activity is subject in a third country which are likely to have a substantial adverse effect on the guarantees provided by the binding corporate rules; and

(n) the appropriate data protection training to personnel having permanent or regular access to personal data.

F15 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in Art. 47 heading inserted (5.2.2026) by Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (c. 18), s. 142(1), Sch. 7 para. 7; S.I. 2026/82, reg. 2(z9)

F2 Words in Art. 47(1) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/419), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 40(2)(a) (with reg. 5); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F3 Word in Art. 47(1) substituted (30.9.2026) by The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/386), reg. 1(2), Sch. 3 para. 41(3)(4)(t); S.I. 2026/1015, reg. 2(c)

F4 Words in Art. 47(1) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/419), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 40(2)(b) (with reg. 5, Sch. 1 para. 80); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F5 Words in Art. 47(2)(e) substituted (5.2.2026) by Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (c. 18), s. 142(1), Sch. 6 para. 8; S.I. 2026/82, reg. 2(z8) (with reg. 5)

F6 Words in Art. 47(2)(e) substituted (19.6.2026) by Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (c. 18), s. 142(1), Sch. 10 para. 6; S.I. 2026/82, reg. 3(b) (with reg. 7)

F7 Word in Art. 47(2)(e) substituted (30.9.2026) by The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/386), reg. 1(2), Sch. 3 para. 41(3)(4)(t); S.I. 2026/1015, reg. 2(c)

F8 Words in Art. 47(2)(f) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/419), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 40(4)(a) (with reg. 5); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F9 Words in Art. 47(2)(f) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/419), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 40(4)(b) (with reg. 5); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F10 Words in Art. 47(2)(j) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/419), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 40(5) (with reg. 5); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F11 Word in Art. 47(2)(j)-(m) substituted (30.9.2026) by The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/386), reg. 1(2), Sch. 3 para. 41(3)(4)(t); S.I. 2026/1015, reg. 2(c)

F12 Words in Art. 47(2)(k) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/419), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 40(6) (with reg. 5); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F13 Words in Art. 47(2)(l) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/419), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 40(7) (with reg. 5); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F14 Words in Art. 47(2)(m) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/419), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 40(8) (with reg. 5); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F15 Art. 47(3) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/419), reg. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 40(9) (with reg. 5, Sch. 1 para. 80); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)